NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Notre Dame football players Mike Anello, Thomas Bemenderfer and Eric Maust were awarded scholarships for the 2008-09 school year by head coach Charlie Weis Sunday night. The announcement came at the beginning of Student Appreciation Night at Notre Dame Stadium where approximately 4,000 of the players' classmates were assembled to watch practice.

Anello, a senior cornerback from Orland Park, Ill., earned the scholarship following a sensational 2007 season. Anello was a starting gunner on the punt coverage team and tallied six tackles. He is currently involved in many of the special teams units for the 2008 season. Anello owns a 3.93 cumulative grade-point average (GPA), qualifying him for the dean's list, and is a finance major in Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.

Bemenderfer earned a scholarship for the second straight season. A senior center and product of Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., Bemenderfer began his college career as a scholarship athlete at Northwestern University before transferring to Notre Dame for the 2006-07 school year. He is currently listed as the backup center. A member of the dean's list, Bemenderfer is enrolled in pre-professional studies in the College of Science and has a 3.762 GPA.

Maust filled in at punter during the 2007 season and averaged a team-high 42.1 yards on 21 punts, landing nine inside the 20 with only one touchback. A junior from Atlanta, Ga., Maust enters the 2008 season as the starting punter for the Irish. He is also one of the top pitchers for Notre Dame's baseball team and recorded a 6-3 record last season. Maust is enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in finance, and owns a 3.153 GPA.

The Irish open the 2008 season on Sept. 6 versus San Diego State at Notre Dame Stadium.